Unlike the older games in this series, which were revisions of the original title, Initial D Arcade Stage 4 has a completely new physics engine written by Sega Rosso for the Sega Lindbergh arcade system. Initial D Arcade Stage 4 features animated cel-shaded characters interacting with each other. The cabinet has a 32-inch 16:9 LCD screen supporting WXGA resolution (1366 x 768). The gear shift has been relocated to a lower more realistic location. The Japanese version of the game supports connection to Sega's All.Net online play network, allowing players from different arcades to play against each other.

For saving player data this game uses IC cards like other Lindbergh games such as Virtua Fighter 5, and Power Smash 3. The player can store data such as their vehicles, modifications to vehicles, avatar customizations and time attack times. Additionally, unlike the past three versions of the game, in which the player is limited to one car per card, the player can now store data for up to three different cars. Additionally, the IC Card can be used for 150 plays, as opposed to cards for past versions which can only be used for 50 plays. Players will not be able to transfer data from versions 1 through 3 because the card slot for this game cannot accommodate these cards.

Contents

Car List

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The following is a selectable car list according to the Official Initial D Arcade Stage 4 website. Note that unlike previous versions of the game (which only added cars to expand its lineup), IDAS4 has removed cars which were deemed unpopular with players and/or non-canonical with the manga series.

* Available since Version 1.50 (Initial D Arcade Stage 4 Kai) and International Edition.

Courses

To chronicle with the Initial D manga, the stages have been tweaked as well. Some stages that are not featured in the new series are removed, with the others receiving tweaks and overhauls. As with the previous series, the race may be set in day / night as well as being dry or having rain.

Unlike the previous series, the new Myogi is more realistic, the full-length, point-to-point course seen in the manga & anime, and on the Initial D: Special Stage game for PlayStation 2. It is a mountain road with a forward and reverse direction similar to Akagi and Akina. Unlike the actual route, the game version is noticeably wider, possibly to reduce the difficulty.

The Tsukuba touge is the final stage in the game. It is a long, narrow and windy mountain road that comprises both an uphill and downhill section with a lot of hairpin turns. To chronicle with the manga, this is the stage where the player will meet the toughest opponents including the "God Hand", "God Foot" and Project D.

Special Match

After completing the Tsukuba stage, the player automatically starts a match with the legendary racer, Bunta Fujiwara. The stage is set in the Akina downhill, with a dry track and at night. Regardless of the result the game is considered "complete" after this stage, and Bunta will appear as Akina's final opponent during the succeeding playthroughs

Car modification

When playing with the IC card inserted, the game allows a degree of modification to the player's car. The car tuning and customization is done on the machine every three ejects of the card.

There are 4 customizing shops in game, each taking care of the following categories: